Irvine Pleased With 'Professional' Owls

Wednesday boss Alan irvine has decladed himself pleased with the way that pre-season training has gone for his squad so far this summer.

The new-look Owls squad spent a week of intense training in Austria last week before returning to win emphatically in domestic friendly matches against Hallam FC and Stocksbridge Park Steels on Tuesday night.

It puts the Owls in a good frame of mind going into the friendly clash at Grimsby Town this weekend.

And things couldn't have gone much better from Irvine's point of view, telling the Sheffield Star about Tuesday's matches: 'It was very professional. It was an extension of our training. We have been training extremely hard and it was vitally important that they didn't think it was a stroll around.

'I told them to go about the game in a proper, professional manner and that is what they did do.'

Irvine will be looking for the same work ethic against the Mariners this weekend as he pulls his first-team squad together for the first time domestically.

The Owls travel to Darlington next week though, meaning the Owls boss could well rest some players and give them a full run-out against Darlo, rather than field a full-strength side at Blundell Park.